Method of forming a stock pile of sulfur



Feb. 21, 1950 A. F. ZEMANEK ETA L.

METHOD OF FORMING A STOCK PILE OF; SULFUR Filed Aug. 5, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet l A.F ZENANEK H.A.$wm

INVENTORS mwe BY -fea ijwm ATTORNEYS.

Feb. 21, 1950 F. ZEMANEK ETAL 2,498,325

METHOD OF FORMING A STOCK FILE OF SULFUR Filed Aug. 5, 1946 '2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig; 3

A. F. ZEMANEK H .A- 5 WE. M

INVENTORS ATT RNEYS.

Patented Feb. 21,1950

METHOD OF FORMING A STOCK PILE SULFUR Arnold F. Zemanek and Harry A. Swern, Newgulf, Tex., assignors to Texas Gulf Sulphur Company, Newgulf, Tex., a corporation of Texas 7 Application August 5, 194.6, Serial No. 688,586 r J The invention relates to a means for supporting the distribution pipe for liquid sulphur in the formation of a sulphur stockpile.

In the production of sulphur from the earth, the crystalline rock sulphur is melted in the earth formation by steam or hot water and conducted to the surface in liquid form in about the consistency of water. This liquid is deposited by discharging it on the surface in rather thin layers within a retainer wall so that the layer will solidify and the pile may be built up by layer upon layer until the desired quantity orheight of the stockpile has been attained. 5

Such stockpiles vary from three hundred t five hundred feet in width and from five hundred to twelve hundred feet in length and it seems obvious that the discharge pipe may be supported within this area so that the liquid sulphur may be discharged at different points along the pipe in order to form the layers without depositing too great an amount of liquid sulphur at any one location until that previously deposited has had an opportunity to solidify.

In the past, the practice has been to provide standards or supporting timbers so that the discharge pipe could be raised from time to time as the pile was built up. Such timbers, however, remained in the solidified sulphur and constituted foreign matter in the completed product.

The present invention contemplates a support for the discharge pipe which is moved progressively from the solidified sulphur to a new position thereon so as to raise the discharge pipe step by step, leaving no foreign matter in the sulphur and providing a piece of apparatus which may be manipulated by a single operator.

It is one of the objects of the invention to pro- 3 Claims. (Cl. 1858) vide a sulphur discharge pipe supporting tripod having an attaching frame and three legs about which the liquid sulphur may be deposited so that the legs can be withdrawn from the solidified sulphur, placed on the surface thereof, and the discharge pipe then supported on the tripod in such raised position.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sulphur pipe support structure having a plurality of legs which may be withdrawn from the solidified sulphur in resetting of the frame to support the pipe.

Other and further objects of the invention will be readily apparent when the following description is considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein- Fig. 1 is a top plan view looking down on the support structure with the dischargepipe resting thereon;

Fig.2 is a side elevation of the support structure with the-pipe thereon and illustrating the structure as positioned upon the surface where the sulphur is to be deposited; v

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a stock pile being formed.

' The support structure is shown generally in the form of a stool or tripod 3 having the legs 4, 5, and 6 thereon. Each leg is in the form of a cylindrical hollow pipe I having a tapered portion 8 merging therewith, and having a'base 9 to rest upon the surface 10 which may be the surface where the sulphur stockpile is to be created or it may be the surface of the solidified sulphur.

The several legs are attached together by means of a frame [2 which is made up of the upper side rail l3, the lower side rail l4 and the inclined cross braces 15.

The vertical struts 3 may also join the upper and the lower rails.

The side rails l3 and [4 are on each side of the frame and arranged to meet in an apex I! so as to enclose the upper end of the legs 4, 5, or 6. A gusset plate 18 may be affixed so as to join the upper rails and in this manner brace the frame. The discharge pipe 20 may be of any desired size and will rest upon the frame as best seen in the drawing.

In actual operation a plurality of these frames 3 will be arranged along the surface where the sulphur is to be deposited and the discharge pipe 20 arranged thereon. Any desired number of outlets 2l, swivel elbows 23, and outlet nozzles 24 can be incorporated in the pipe 20. Fig. 3 shows such an arrangement as being operated upon the top of a stockpile 25 whose surface 26 has been built up a substantial distance.

As seen in Fig. 2 the tripod will be arranged to support the pipe 20 and the liquid sulphur discharged so as to flow around the legs of the tripod. When the sulphur has built up to an elevation approximating either the nozzle 24 or the top of the tapered portion of the tripod legs, then the pipe 20 will be elevated, the tripod raised so as to withdraw the legs from the solidified sulphur, and it may then be turned slightly so as to rest the legs on the solidified sulphur. When all of the tripods are thus raised, the discharge pipe will be elevated by the amount of raising and additional layers of sulphur can be discharged on to the surface 26 to continue the building of the stockpile.

The provision of the foregoing tripods eliminates the use of timbers or other supports for the discharge pipe, and when the stockpile is completed the removal of these tripods is all that is required in order to leave a solid body of clean sulphur which is not contaminated by the timbers or other foreign matter which has been used to support the discharge pipe;-

Broadly the invention contemplates a means and method of building sulphur stockpiles by raising a plurality of tripods progressively upon the solidified sulphur.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of building a sulphur stockpile which comprises positioning of a l'lquidsulphur distribution pipe upon a plurality of support frames, depositing the liquid 'sulphur'layer after layer, allowing each layer to solidify prior to .depositing the next layer until the level of the solid pile approaches the elevation of the top of the frames, withdrawing the frames from the solidifled sulphur, resetting the frames on the upper surface of the solidified sulphur, distributing additional layers of sulphur and repeatedly elevating the frames until the stockpile is completed so that no foreign matter remains in the stockpile.

2. A method of forming a solid pile of sulphur which comprises, periodically depositing relative- 1y thin layers of molten sulphur, and allowing each layer to solidify prior to depositing of the next layer.

,3. A method of forming a solid stockpile of sulphur which comprises, forming an increment the solid sulphur surface, and continuing the forming of Wall increments, the depositing and solidifying, and the elevating operations until the stockpile .is formed.

' ARNOLD F. ZEMANEK.

HARRY A. ,SWEM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 192,011 Richardson June 12, 1877 904,927 Boe'ck Nov. 24, 1908 1,364,372 Hillman Jan; 4, 1921 1,437,297 Engert Nov. 28, 1922 1,454,344 Stewart May 8, 1923 1,506,062 Henker Aug. 26, 1924 1,533,213 Schwab Apr. 14, 1925 1,577,843 Murphy Mar. 23, 1926 

1. A METHOD OF BUILDING A SULPHUR STOCKPILE WHICH COMPRISES POSITIONING OF A LIQUID SULPHUR DISTRIBUTION PIPE UPON A PLURALITY OF SUPPORT FRAMES, DEPOSITING THE LIQUID SULPHUR LAYER AFTER LAYER, ALLOWING EACH LAYER TO SOLIDIFY PRIOR TO DEPOSITING THE NEXT LAYER UNTIL THE LEVEL OF THE SOLID PILE APPROACHES THE ELEVATION OF THE TOP OF THE FRAMES, WITHDRAWING THE FRAMES FROM THE SOLIDIFIED SULPHUR, RESETTING THE FRAMES ON THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE SOLIDIFIED SULPHUR, DISTRIBUTING ADDITIONAL LAYERS OF SULPHUR AND REPEATEDLY ELEVATING THE FRAMES UNTIL THE STOCKPILE IS COMPLETED SO THAT NO FOREIGN MATTER REMAINS IN THE STOCKPILE. 